Friday, 14 August 2015

Project Hope Island

“Don’t pray for an easy life, pray for the
strength to endure a difficult one.”

-Bruce Lee

It is failure, loss, loneliness and grief that we
all have faced at some time or the other. At some point of our life, we have
wanted to end this life, however short the moment might be. Loss of a loved
one, loss of self-respect, failure in an examination, failure to provide for
family, failure to be someone respectable in society and so on. With so many
challenges and obstacles that life presents us, there are numerous man made
challenges like abuse, trafficking, murders and other criminal activities. The
trail doesn’t end here, there are incurable diseases like Cancer to natural
disasters; there are wars to droughts to hunger and poverty. Every day we wake
up to face a new challenge in order to survive another day. In a perfect world,
a father works hard to support his family, a mother works hard to feed her
family, a child works hard to assure the future of the family. The daily life
starts with posing outright obstacles and ends with a relief of living another
day.

Suicide is said to be a cowardice act, a crime in
eyes of law, an evil deed in Lord’s eyes. We often hear it is easy to end a
life; it is difficult to live one. But how often have we taken the initiative
to learn the reasons where a victim is forced to take his/her life? How often
have we looked over our shoulder to provide support to the one who has lost the
battle? How often have we offered a hand of support without expecting anything
in return? We often say something like we are so busy in our lives; we have so
many problems to deal with; I have given a donation to a charity; the company
that I work for has charitable branch and I donate monthly. But, have we ever
given a thought to whose life are we making a difference to in such a support?
Have we ever wanted to listen to part of the story of the victim?

Project Hope Island is a place of serenity created
by Arwen Mannonen for individuals who need help; people who are distressed and
want to commit suicide. It is a peer to peer support group, functioning to give
resources and encouragement for the one who have none. Resources like Help-line
numbers, Support groups, Domestic Violence resources and Books to prevent
suicide.

Visiting the resource office would enable one to
open the doors to hot line numbers to national and domestic violence in U.K.,
U.S.A. among others. The National Domestic Violence Hotline answers more than
21,000 calls per month from victims, survivors, friends and family members, law
enforcement personnel, domestic violence advocates and the general public.
Hotline advocates provide support and assistance to anyone involved in a
domestic violence situation, including those in same-sex relationships, male
survivors, those with disabilities and immigrant victims of domestic violence.
All calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline are anonymous and
confidential.

How does the Hotline Services work?

According to the
Project Hope Island Resources, these are the following pointers.

·Crisis intervention, safety planning,
information about domestic violence and referrals to local service providers

·A direct connection to domestic violence
resources available in the caller’s area provided by a Hotline advocate

·Assistance in both English and Spanish
with Hotline advocates having access to more than 170 different languages
through interpreter services

·Assistance through e-mail on the contact
page

·Informational materials on such topics
as domestic violence, sexual assault, battering intervention and prevention
programs, working through the criminal justice system and related issues

The list doesn’t exhaust here, Terminal Illness
Resources, Suicide prevention and survivor resources, Internet Resources like http://www.save.org
and other books like “Step Back from the Exit: 45 Reasons to Say No to Suicide
by Jillayne Arena” among others are available. Books are peer support for
trans-person and their family are also available like the book written by R.
Nick Gorton, MD; Jamie Buth, MD & Dean Spade (2005) on "Medical
Therapy and Health Maintenance for Transgender Men: A Guide For Health Care
Providers", attempts to provide the knowledge necessary to care for
transmen before, during and after transition.

Domestic Violence is seen in almost any households
today. Stress, peer pressure, money and power, societal norms and sometimes
religions too among other stimuli pose a threat to an individual. Irrespective
of a developed or a developing country, domestic violence not only includes
abuse to women but also child abuse, child sexual abuse, elder abuse, rape or
sexual assault to both women and men among others. This leads us to the bravest
step of asking ourselves, “Am I being abused?” in the name of love and care. If
yes, please don’t hesitate to ask for help from a family member, friend,
relative you trust or call the help line number of your locality. There are
numerous organisations fighting to stop abuse. However, the first step and the
bravest one are in your hand. Project Hope Island is a community within a
virtual world to offer help and support.

Photography Credits: Leela Qissinger

When you are writing your story about your life,
don’t let anyone else hold the pen for you. Take the first step to fight back.
Your step would end the tyranny and would help and others you love to face a
new day with a new hope.

1 comment:

ROBLOX is powered by an ever growing player base of over 300,000 creators who generate an infinite variety of highly immersive experiences.

These experiences range from 3D multi-player games and competitions, to interactive adventures where players can take on new avatars to imagine what it would be like to be a dinosaur, a miner working a mine or an astronaut out in space.